Content caching with remote charging services in a radio access network

ABSTRACT

A RAN based data processing system is configured for content caching with remote charging services. The system can include a base station that includes an antenna, a receiver, a transmitter, a processor, a local cache, and a network interface to a data communications network. The system also can include an RNC coupled to the base station over the data communications network. The system yet further can include a charging service executing in memory of a host computer recording charges for data services provided in the RAN. Finally, the system can include a caching with remote charging module executing by the processor of the base station. The module can include program code enabled to receive a data request from an end user device, to route the request to a content server in a computer communications network through a coupled CN, to receive a response to the request, to cache the response in the local cache, to forward the response to the end user device, and to transmit data characteristic of the response to the charging service external.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/910,252, filed on Oct. 22, 2010, now allowed, which is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to content retrieval services provided ina radio access network and more particularly to the caching of retrievedcontent in a radio access network.

Description of the Related Art

The radio access network (RAN) provides for the foundation of moderncellular telephony. The RAN functions to join different end user mobiledevices to a core network (CN) such that individuals can enjoytelephonic and data communications wirelessly within a geographic areacovered by the various base stations of the radio access network.Generally speaking, the RAN provides the requisite infrastructure topass both voice and data traffic from the over-the-air medium to boththe terrestrial circuit switched communication network and the packetswitched data communications network inclusive of the global Internet.

At present, several standards have been implemented in connection withthe RAN. Examples include the global system for mobile communications(GSM), the universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) and the GSM“Edge” RAN (GERAN). The RAN generally includes multiple different radionetwork controllers (RNC) each managing a set of base stations providingwireless connectivity to a geographic cell. The entirety of thedifferent RNCs of the RAN are linked to what is known as the cellulardata core or CN through a gateway known as the serving generalized radiopacket service node (SGSN). The CN provides various services tocustomers who are connected by the RAN. One of the main functions is toroute calls across the public switched telephone network (PSTN). Anotheris to route data packets onto an Internet protocol (IP) network such asthe global Internet so that end users of the RAN can access servicesprovided by a content delivery network (CDN). To that end, the CNincludes a gateway known as the gateway GPRS service node (GGSN).

The typical CDN can provide for advanced content delivery services suchas content caching and content filtering. Content caching refers to theintermediate temporary storage of previously retrieved content under theassumption that a temporally proximate subsequent request for thecontent can be satisfied from temporary storage rather than repeating amore time consuming request for content in the CDN. In contrast, contentfiltering refers to the restriction of the delivery of requested contentwhen the content meets a particular profile such as being published by aparticular source or incorporating particular subject matter. In bothinstances, the packet processing requisite to performing advancedcontent services often demand that those services are provided withinthe CN where the communications protocol utilized in the CN isconsistent with that of the global Internet—namely the transport controlprotocol (TCP) over IP.

Even still, some have suggested placing support for content servicessuch as content caching and content filtering within the RAN. In thisregard, United States Patent Application Publication No. 20100034089 byKovvali et al. suggests the placement of content caching services withinthe RAN and the extraction of TCP/IP payloads from the RAN protocolspecific to the RAN. Notwithstanding, placing content services likecaching and filtering even closer to the end user within the variousbase stations is not desirable in as much as to do so requires hardeningof computing devices supporting the content services due to the physicalenvironment of the base station. As such, when content services areperformed at the base station, only a minimal computing device isprovided to handle only the most basic content services. However,oftentimes it is desirable to perform more than just the most basiccontent services. For instance, in many instances it is desirable toperform charging services for the content services delivered to endusers. To the extent that charging services require more than the mostbasic computational device, charging services along with thecorresponding content services are provided together in the RAN as amatter of convenience.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art inrespect to content services in a RAN and provide a novel and non-obviousmethod, system and computer program product for content caching withremote charging services in a RAN. In an embodiment of the invention, amethod for content caching with remote charging services in a RAN hasbeen claimed. The method includes receiving a data request from an enduser device in a base station of a RAN and routing the request to apacket switched data communications network from the base station by wayof a core network disposed between the RAN and the data communicationsnetwork. The method also includes receiving a response to the request inthe base station, caching the response in a local cache of the basestation and forwarding the response to the end user device. Finally, themethod includes transmitting data characteristic of the response to aremote charging service external to the base station but within the RAN,for instance a size of the response, a size of the request or both. Inone aspect of the embodiment, the transmission of the datacharacteristic of the response to a remote charging service can includefirst batching the data characteristic of the response with other datacharacteristic of other responses to other requests from other end userdevices communicating with the base station, and subsequentlytransmitting the batched data to the remote charging service.

In another embodiment of the invention, a RAN based data processingsystem can be configured for content caching with remote chargingservices. The system can include a base station that includes anantenna, a receiver, a transmitter, a processor, a local cache, and anetwork interface to a data communications network. The system also caninclude an RNC coupled to the base station over the data communicationsnetwork. The system yet further can include a charging service executingin memory of a host computer recording charges for data servicesprovided in the RAN. Finally, the system can include a caching withremote charging module executing by the processor of the base station.The module can include program code enabled to receive a data requestfrom an end user device, to route the request to a content server in acomputer communications network through a coupled CN, to receive aresponse to the request, to cache the response in the local cache, toforward the response to the end user device, and to transmit datacharacteristic of the response to the charging service external.

Additional aspects of the invention will be set forth in part in thedescription which follows, and in part will be obvious from thedescription, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The aspectsof the invention will be realized and attained by means of the elementsand combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. It isto be understood that both the foregoing general description and thefollowing detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only andare not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute partof this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention andtogether with the description, serve to explain the principles of theinvention. The embodiments illustrated herein are presently preferred,it being understood, however, that the invention is not limited to theprecise arrangements and instrumentalities shown, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a pictorial illustration of a process for content caching withremote charging services in a RAN;

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a RAN based data processing systemconfigured for content caching with remote charging services; and,

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a process for content caching withremote charging services in a RAN.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the invention provide for content caching with remotecharging services in a RAN. In accordance with an embodiment of theinvention, a content request can be received in a caching processorexecuting in memory of a computing device in a base station of a cell ina RAN of a cellular communications network such as a 3G or UMTS cellularcommunications system. The content request can be inspected to determineif a response to the request can be found in a cache local to the basestation. If so, the cached response to the request can be returned tothe requesting end user device. Otherwise, a response can be retrievedby way of a CN coupled to the RAN and returned to the end user device.Further, to the extent the response is determined to be cacheable, theresponse can be placed in the local cache of the base station and aremote charging service external to the base station can be notified ofthe caching of the response in order to manage billing externally to thebase station.

In further illustration, FIG. 1 pictorially depicts a process forcontent caching with remote charging services in a RAN. As shown in FIG.1, a cellular telecommunications network can be provided to includedifferent base stations 120 arranged to provide wireless telephonicaccess to different end user devices 110 for the PSTN 140. Clusters ofthe base stations 120 can be communicatively linked to a common RNC 130that in turn can be coupled to a CN 150 thus forming a RAN. The CN 150can include both a SGSN 160A acting as a gateway for traffic between theCN 150, the PSTN 140 and each RNC 130, and also a GGSN 160B acting as agateway between the CN 150 and the data communications network100—typically the global Internet. The CN 150 itself can support anumber of content services 170 as is well known in the art.

Of note, a data processing system for caching with remote charging 190Acan be disposed in one or more of the base stations 120 and can beconfigured for communicative coupling to a charging service 190executing in the RNC 130 externally to the base station 120. The dataprocessing system 190A can include program code that when executes inthe data processing system processes content requests stemming from enduser devices 110 communicating with the base station 120 to servelocally cached responses to the end user devices 110. The program codewhen executing further can retrieve responses 190C from content servers180 on the data communications network 100 by way of the CN 150 thathave not been cached and can return those retrieved responses 190C tothe end user devices 110. Even yet further, the program code whenexecuting can provide to the charging service 190B data pertaining tothe nature of the retrieved responses 190C once cached locally at thebase station 120 so that the charging service 190B can process billingresulting from the caching of the retrieved responses 190C.

In yet further illustration, FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a RANbased data processing system configured for content caching with remotecharging services in a packet data network such as a 2.5G or 3G network.The system can include a base station 200A coupled to an RNC 200B over acommunications network 250, commonly an IP network or an asynchronoustransfer mode (ATM) network. The base station 200A can include areceiver/transmitter 230 receiving over-the-air communications fromdifferent end user devices within transmission range of the base station200A by way of antenna 265, and routing the same to the RNC 200B by wayof a network interface 210. A processor 240 can be provided to performcomputational processing on received data as the data is placed inmemory 220.

The RNC 200B, in turn, can include a host computer 260 with at least oneprocessor and memory supporting the execution of an operating system270. The operating system 270 in turn can host the execution of acharging service 280. The charging service 280 can write records to adata store of customer charges 290 in furtherance of service orientedcharging of customers for data services provisioned for differentcustomers of the RAN based data processing system. In compliment to thecharging service 280, a caching with remote charging module 300 can bedisposed in the base station 200A along with a local cache 275 couple tothe caching with remote charging module 300.

The caching with remote charging module 300 can include program codethat when executed by the processor 240 of the base station 200A canprocess data requests received from wirelessly coupled end user devices(not shown) by returning cached responses in the local cache 275, or toretrieve the responses from over the data communications network 250 andto cache the retrieved responses in the local cache 275. Further, when aresponse is placed into the local cache 275, the program code of thecaching with remote charging module 300 can provide data characteristicof the cached response and optionally the request to the chargingservice 280, such as a size of the cached response. In this regard, thecaching with remote charging module 300 can provide the characteristicdata to the charging service 280 in real-time, or in batch along withother characteristic data for other cached responses.

In even yet further illustration, FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating aprocess for content caching with remote charging services in a RAN.Beginning in block 310, a data request can be received in a base stationof a RAN from an end user device wirelessly communicating with the basestation. In block 320, a local cache in the base station can beconsulted for a response to the request. In decision block 330, if aresponse to the request can be located in the local cache, in block 340the response can be returned to the end user device. Otherwise, in block350 a response to the request can be retrieved from a content providerover the Internet by way of a CN and a corresponding RNC and ultimatelyback to the base station.

In decision block 360, it can be determined whether or not the responseis cacheable (for instance whether or not a content filter would preventthe caching of the response). If not, in block 340 the response can bereturned to the end user device. Otherwise, in block 370 the responsecan be placed in the local cache of the base station and in block 380the size of the response (and optionally of the request leading to theresponse) can be computed. Thereafter, in block 390, a remote chargingservice in the RNC can be invoked through an interface to the remotecharging service with an identity of the requesting end user device, andthe size of the response and optionally an identification of theresponse and request size. Finally, in block 340 the response can bereturned to the end user devices.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the presentinvention may be embodied as a system, method or computer programproduct. Accordingly, aspects of the present invention may take the formof an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment(including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or anembodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may allgenerally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.”Furthermore, aspects of the present invention may take the form of acomputer program product embodied in one or more computer readablemedium(s) having computer readable program code embodied thereon.

Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) may beutilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signalmedium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readablestorage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic,magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system,apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. Morespecific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readablestorage medium would include the following: an electrical connectionhaving one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, arandom access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber,a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storagedevice, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. In the context of this document, a computer readable storagemedium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a programfor use by or in connection with an instruction execution system,apparatus, or device.

A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signalwith computer readable program code embodied therein, for example, inbaseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may takeany of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to,electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. Acomputer readable signal medium may be any computer readable medium thatis not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate,propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with aninstruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

Program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be transmittedusing any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless,wireline, optical fiber cable, radiofrequency, and the like, or anysuitable combination of the foregoing. Computer program code forcarrying out operations for aspects of the present invention may bewritten in any combination of one or more programming languages,including an object oriented programming language and conventionalprocedural programming languages. The program code may execute entirelyon the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alonesoftware package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remotecomputer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latterscenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computerthrough any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or awide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an externalcomputer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet ServiceProvider).

Aspects of the present invention have been described above withreference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods,apparatus (systems) and computer program products according toembodiments of the invention. In this regard, the flowchart and blockdiagrams in the Figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, andoperation of possible implementations of systems, methods and computerprogram products according to various embodiments of the presentinvention. For instance, each block in the flowchart or block diagramsmay represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises oneor more executable instructions for implementing the specified logicalfunction(s). It should also be noted that, in some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of theorder noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware andcomputer instructions.

It also will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer program instructions. These computer program instructions maybe provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, specialpurpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus toproduce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via theprocessor of the computer or other programmable data processingapparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified inthe flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computerreadable medium that can direct a computer, other programmable dataprocessing apparatus, or other devices to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readablemedium produce an article of manufacture including instructions whichimplement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. The computer program instructions may also beloaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, orother devices to cause a series of operational steps to be performed onthe computer, other programmable apparatus or other devices to produce acomputer implemented process such that the instructions which execute onthe computer or other programmable apparatus provide processes forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

Finally, the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describingparticular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of theinvention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” areintended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearlyindicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms“comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification,specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations,elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence oraddition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations,elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of allmeans or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended toinclude any structure, material, or act for performing the function incombination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. Thedescription of the present invention has been presented for purposes ofillustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive orlimited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications andvariations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the artwithout departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Theembodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain theprinciples of the invention and the practical application, and to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention forvarious embodiments with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated.

Having thus described the invention of the present application in detailand by reference to embodiments thereof, it will be apparent thatmodifications and variations are possible without departing from thescope of the invention defined in the appended claims as follows:

We claim:
 1. A method for content caching with remote charging servicesin a radio access network (RAN), the method comprising: receiving a datarequest from an end user device in a base station of a RAN comprising amultiplicity of base stations each communicatively coupled to amultiplicity of end user devices and also to at least one radio networkcontroller (RNC); routing the request to a packet switched datacommunications network from the base station by way of a correspondingRNC through to a core network disposed between the RAN and the datacommunications network; receiving a response to the request in the basestation; caching the response in a local cache of the base station andforwarding the response to the end user device; and, transmitting both adata characteristic comprising a size of the response and also a datacharacteristic comprising a size of the request to a remote chargingservice external to the base station but within the RAN in response tocaching the response in the local cache of the base station.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: determining whether the responseto the request already resides in the local cache; and, performing therouting, receiving, caching and transmitting only upon determining thatthe response to the request is not already stored in the local cache,but servicing the data request with the response in the local cache inlieu of the routing, receiving, caching and transmitting upondetermining that the response to the request is already stored in thelocal cache.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the datacharacteristic comprising the size of the response to the remotecharging service external to the base station but within the RANcomprises: batching the data characteristic of the response with otherdata characteristic of other responses to other data requests from otherend user devices communicating with the base station; and, transmittingthe batched data to the remote charging service.
 4. The method of claim1, wherein transmitting the data characteristic comprising the size ofthe response to the remote charging service external to the base stationbut within the RAN, comprises transmitting the data characteristic ofthe response to the remote charging service executing in a computer of aradio network controller (RNC) coupled to the base station in the RAN.5. The method of claim 1, wherein the RAN is disposed in a packetswitched cellular communications system.
 6. A radio access network (RAN)based data processing system configured for content caching with remotecharging services, the system comprising: a multiplicity of basestations, each base station comprising an antenna, a receiver, atransmitter, a processor, a local cache, and a network interface to adata communications network; a radio network controller (RNC) coupled toeach of the base stations over the data communications network; acharging service executing in a memory of a host computer recordingcharges for data services provided in the RAN; and, a caching withremote charging module executing by the processor of the base station,the caching with remote charging module comprising program code enabledto receive a data request from an end user device, to route the datarequest to a content server in a computer communications network by wayof a corresponding RNC through to a coupled core network (CN), toreceive a response to the data request, to cache the response in thelocal cache, to forward the response to the end user device, and totransmit both a data characteristic comprising a size of the responseand also a data characteristic comprising a size of the request to aremote charging service external to the base station but within the RANin response to caching the response in the local cache of the basestation.
 7. The system of claim 6, wherein the host computer is coupledto the RNC.
 8. The system of claim 6, wherein the data communicationsnetwork coupling the RNC to the base station is an Internet protocol(IP) network.
 9. The system of claim 6, wherein the data communicationsnetwork coupling the RNC to the base station is an asynchronous transfermode (ATM) network.
 10. A computer program product for content cachingwith remote charging services in a radio access network (RAN), thecomputer program product comprising: a non-transitory computer readablestorage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith,the computer readable program code comprising: computer readable programcode for receiving a data request from an end user device in a basestation of a RAN comprising a multiplicity of base stations eachcommunicatively coupled to a multiplicity of end user devices and alsoto at least one radio network controller (RNC); computer readableprogram code for routing the data request to a packet switched datacommunications network from the base station by way of a correspondingRNC through to a core network disposed between the RAN and the packetswitched data communications network; computer readable program code forreceiving a response to the data request in the base station; computerreadable program code for caching the response in a local cache of thebase station and forwarding the response to the end user device; and,computer readable program code for transmitting both a datacharacteristic comprising a size of the response and also a datacharacteristic comprising a size of the request to a remote chargingservice external to the base station but within the RAN in response tocaching the response in the local cache of the base station.
 11. Thecomputer program product of claim 10, further comprising: computerreadable program code for determining whether the response to the datarequest already resides in the local cache; and, computer readableprogram code for performing the routing, receiving, caching andtransmitting only upon determining that the response to the data requestis not already stored in the local cache, but servicing the data requestwith the response in the local cache in lieu of the routing, receiving,caching and transmitting upon determining that the response to the datarequest is already stored in the local cache.
 12. The computer programproduct of claim 10, wherein the computer readable program code fortransmitting the data characteristic comprising the size of the responseto a remote charging service external to the base station but within theRAN comprises: computer readable program code for batching the datacharacteristic of the response with other data characteristic of otherresponses to other data requests from other end user devicescommunicating with the base station; and, computer readable program codefor transmitting the batched data to the remote charging service. 13.The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the computer readableprogram code for transmitting the data characteristic comprising thesize of the response to the remote charging service external to the basestation but within the RAN, comprises computer readable program code fortransmitting the data characteristic of the response to the remotecharging service executing in a computer of a radio network controller(RNC) coupled to the base station in the RAN.
 14. The computer programproduct of claim 10, wherein the RAN is disposed in a packet switchedcellular communications system.
 15. The computer program product ofclaim 14, wherein the packet switched cellular communications system isa 3G cellular communications system.
 16. The computer program product ofclaim 14, wherein the packet switched cellular communications system isa universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) cellularcommunications system.